Your Opinion: Red Cross honors volunteers

National Volunteer Week, April 10-16, is a time to celebrate the American Red Cross.

This year’s theme, Celebrating People in Action, aptly describes Capital Area Chapter volunteers. Red Cross volunteers are doers. Red Cross volunteers are people in action.

Our chapter has more than 270 volunteers from all walks of life. They come together with one common purpose — to provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Everyone can be great because anyone can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t even have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love….”

With hearts full of grace and souls generated by love, Red Cross volunteers are always ready to step in and help people down the street, across the nation and around the world. They teach lifesaving safety courses such as first aid, CPR, babysitting and care giving.

Volunteers serve veterans, members of the military and their families. They work at blood drives; respond to large and small disasters and provide international tracing services.

The Capital Area Chapter wants to thank each volunteer. We take this time to recognize the selfless gifts of time, money and blood the Red Cross has received.

We invite you to join us. If you are not a volunteer, give the Red Cross a try. Red Crossers are people who are trained to perform extraordinary acts in the face of emergencies.

To volunteer, contact the chapter at 573-635-1132, or come by the office at 431 E. McCarty St. in Jefferson City.